Phoenix Academy celebrated Secretaries Day this week. It was very easy because our secretary Mrs. Elaine Farrar is wonderful! She is kind and helpful to everyone. Here are a few comments that the students wrote on her homemade card – We are thankful for your smile; your patience and kindness; that you are nice and supportive; because you are one of the sweetest people I have ever met!
Not only is she a great secretary, she and her husband Dr. Kermit Farrar were guest speakers in Ms. Anthes Social Studies class last month. The students had just finished a unit on Black History. The Farrar’s talked about what it was like growing up in Mississippi in the 1950’s. They also talked about how much things have changed for black people in the United States since then. Dr. Farrar talked about when they first got married and they tried to buy a house. There were houses that the real estate agents would not show them. They would only show them houses in certain areas. Also the bank would not finance a house for blacks in certain cities. The students were very surprised to hear that Mrs. Farrar could not drink out of the water fountain, had to sit at the back of the bus or stand up, traveled to see her grandmother in the back of a 53 foot semi truck and had to sit in a separate area at the movie theatre. The students had earned the opportunity to watch the movie The Help. Many of the students were very touched by the movie. Mrs. Farrar remembered watching the women in her neighborhood walk to their jobs as housekeepers for the white families. The students were very impressed when they learned that Mrs. Farrar had actually met Dr. Martin Luther King!
On Secretaries Day we had a lot to celebrate. The theme for the day was “You Are The Best” and what a true statement that was as our secretary Elaine Farrar is the best!